The present invention relates to a container of the type which comprises a casing with an upper portion and a bottom, and an elongate flexible member which has one end thereof anchored to said upper portion and the other to said bottom and which passes through the container space. The invention is primarily intended for use with such containers which, when empty, are unable to readily retain their shape, for example large sacks, which when full are too heavy to be lifted manually, such sacks together with the contents weighing, for example, several hundred kilograms. The invention is not restricted to containers which have poor shape-stability, however, but can also be advantageously applied to containers of fairly rigid construction, such as relatively large box-like containers.
A disadvantage with previously known containers of the type described above is that, when said container with its contents is lifted, the container is subjected to local stresses and strains in the region where the flexible elongate member is connected to the container. To avoid rupturing the container casing, the casing as a whole must have considerable strength or must be reinforced at the elongate member attachment points, thereby adding to the cost of the container. Such additional costs are particularly difficult to bear when the container is intended for use as a disposable container for goods, having a relatively low kiloprice, such as pulvurent or granulated artificial manure.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a novel, inexpensive and useful container with which the aforementioned disadvantage is substantially eliminated.
To this end, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that there is provided a container of the type previously described, wherein the elongate member extends longitudinally displaceably through an opening in said upper portion and is arranged to form a loop between said opening and the anchoring point on said upper portion for receiving a container-lifting device. Such an arrangement causes the load exerted on the container casing, when the container with its contents is lifted, to be automatically distributed thereby enabling the container to be manufactured from a relatively weak and inexpensive material whilst ensuring that the container is relatively rupture-proof. However, should the casing rupture at one of the elongate member anchoring points, there is no appreciable risk of the container and its contents falling as a unit, with the risk of causing serious injury to persons beneath the container or other serious damage as a result thereof. Instead, in the event of rupture at the bottom of the container, the container contents will run rapidly, although successively, from the container without risk of causing serious injury or damage. In the event of rupture at the upper portion of the container, the container, which is supported at the bottom thereof by means of the lower end of the elongate member, is turned inside out, whereupon the contents of the container successively run out subsequent to a certain degree of downward movement on the part of the container.